Process of improving coffee-beans



Patented Sept. 8,1931

m1. Lnunnrcn, or HAMBURG, GERMANY; LOUISEIB.

P. LEmmIcH, WIDOW; ERNA c;

WEMMEBING, DAUGHTER; AND OTTO LENDRICH, SON, HEIRS AT LAW 01 SAID KARL LENDRICH', DECEASED rnocnss or mraoviue COFFEE-BEANS The present invention relates to a novel process ofimproving coflee-beans.

According to origin, growth, climatic and cultural conditions of the plantations, and also perhaps influenced by the manner of arvest' "g, the different kinds of coflee put on the-market show rather considerable differences in their roasted state and in the hot drinks therefrom, both in aroma and taste. The trade knows mild and strong tasting cofwhich in one or other direction is not only confined to certain districts,'but may also be met with on the same plantation in different varieties.

number of varities of coffee of certain origin,

either no sale at all or being used only for mixing with other soft tasting kinds of coffee.

Various attempts have been made to get,

ridof this strong taste by special treatment the beans or to moderate this taste, but

9 so far these attempts have not led to a really practical result.

the cause of this obtrusive strong taste of the coflee, which diminishes considerabl attributed chiefly to an excess-quantity of chlorogenic acid which is found as a natural which the said chlorogenic acid being partly combined with caffeine as chlorogenate of tassium-cafi'eine. I I l ith the knowledge. of this fact attempts have" been made to considerably reduce and fees in numerous varieties, the character of th astringent,

, into caffeic acid and quinic acid.

horqugh investigations now have proved ts enjoyment, is to be.-

constituent part of all kinds of coffee and closely resembles tanning materials, th

, tion it resulted that 170 Drawing. alppl ication filed November 3, 1928, Serial No. 317,123, and in. Germany- Deeember 21, 1927.

limit the influence of the chlorogenic acid on the taste of the coffee or to abolish it altogether.

ed tod that they mild coffee or when e decomposition isintentionally limited, that of a medium coffee in the middle between mild and show the qualities of a strong.

hemistry dealing with cofl'ee has succeeded in obtaining chlorogenate of potassiuming from diluted sulphuric acid, the chl in a pure and crystalline state.

as genie acid forms a dibasic sharp, could be further d in an aqueous solution by means of a diluted potashor soda-lye strong acid of an e process takes the following manner p I v sz s ia 269E804 01 12 6 chlorogenic acid plus water= cafieic acid plus quinic acid.

place formulary in A still deeper decomposition of the chloro-' enic acid with accom anying ap earance of g fleic acid and quinic acid could be obtained y treating the saidchlqrogenic acid in aqueous solution under high pressure.

The hylrolytic decomposition of the pure free chlorogenic acid, into cafi'eic acid and suggested the idea to' effect this e numerous attem ts positiontakes alrea place a ,reliable manner in the.

presence ofw'atei-i o'nl'y. The

orogenic acid been ascertained that the chloro fl'ee-bean itself with Q regard to the free and con bined'acid. From miide inl-fihils direc-- peratures obtainedfbg pre's's'u're, thi 'decom-* y kali-carbonates or of mineral acids maygenerally be dispensed with as it presents certain difliculties in so far as the quantities required for the decomposition can. not always 5 be measured precisely, especially as these chemicals are acting not only upon the chlorogenic acid, but also on theproducts of decomposition of the same as well as. also on the other constituent parts of the coffee whereby accompanying undesirable combinations and decompositions may take place.

As specially essential it has been made out that in hydrolizing the chlorogenic acid in the presence of water only the decomposition is progressin gradually and may be adjusted as require The decomposition of acid effected in accordance with the above rules in difierent kinds of cofiee has shown such marked and reliable results, that it must be considered as an established fact, that strong tasting coffees, which hitherto co ld not be used at all or for blending or mixing 1 urposes only, can now be prepared for being adapted for direct enjoyment and for having a highly refined taste, been certified by a reat number of comparing tasters.

coffee-beans, in motion, for a longer or time to a pressure above the atmospheric pressure, with or without the application of alkalis, alkaline earths and ammonia or acids. It is old to treat the coilee-beans with dry or moist flowing steam. All of these processes however have solely the purpose to swell the beans during the production of coffee free of the cafieine shorter period 0 4o acid, in order to get of the cofiee-beans by means, or in order to fully expel again t said organic dissolving means from the coffee-beans by means 0 streaming dry or moist steam under pressure. p to date no one has thought of decomposing the chlorogenie acid into cafieic acid and quinic aci b means of water'vapors under pressure for t e purpose of reducing or abolishing the strong taste of any cofiee.

EwampZe.-Into a rotatable pressure container or receptacle provided with a steamjacket are brought 100 kg. of raw cofiee. The container is heated under constant rotation until the pressure amounts to 1 atm. upon whilst continuing the rotation, direct steam is introduced, and according to the quality of the, coffee, the pressure is left at 1 atm. or raised to 2 or 3 atm. The beans absorb hereby 6 to 10 per cent of water increasing in bulk accordingly. At this pressure varying according to requirement, the cofiee is left for 1 to 3 hours and kept continuou'sly in motion, until the desired degree mg or the hereby efiected decomposition of the organic dissolving d and then beating them for at Herechlorogenic acid into cafieic acid and qu'nic acid is obtained. A strong Victoria-coffee, for example, required a pressure of 2 atm.

In case the cofiee to be treated has a natural moisture o decomposition of the chlorogenic acid also be efiected by indirect heating alone, whereat the required pressure with the corresponding temperature is maintained by the proportion of water contained in the coffeebeans and being" sufiicient for this special case. The period of time necessary for carrying out this modified form of the process is however considerably longer.

Finally the decomposition may also be performed under co-application of potassiumand sodium-hydroxide or of the corresponding carbonates, as well as of a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid or su phuric acid, by adding to the raw cofiee in the pressure-container according to requirement or solution or dilution of 0.1 to 0.3 per cent of the above named chemicals in quantities of 6 to 10 per cent of the coffee under treatment after the latter has been brought in the pressure-container by indirect heating under a pressure of 1 atm. whereupon the coffee is further treated as described above. After the decomposition the cofli'ee must be subjected to a neutralizing aftertreatment.

I claim:

1. A process for improving cofiee-beans which comprises treating them with hydrolytic agents at least one hour and under a ressure of at least one atmos here whereby the chlorogenic acid containe in the cofieebeans is decomposed.

2. A process for improving coifee-beans which comprises treating them with water vapor for at least one hour and under a presing the mass, whereby the chlorogenic acid contained in the cofiee-beans is decomposed.

3. A process for improving coffee-beans which comprises moistening them with water least one hour the chlowhile agitating the mass, whereb ee-beans is rogenic acid contained in the co decomposed.

4. A process for improving cofiee-beans which comprises treating them with wet steam for a fperiod of two hours and under a pressure 0 two atmospheres, while agitating the mass whereby the chlorogenic. aci contained in the coifee-beans is decomposed. 5. A process for improving cofi'ee-beans which comprises treating them vapor under a pressure tol to 3 atmospheres to the extent that they absorb 6 to 10% by weight of water for at least one hour, whereby the chlorogenic aci is decomposed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

Karin LENDRICH.

about 12 to 15 per cent, the may 7 h sure of at least one atmosphere while agitatwith water 

